Nick Saban offers surprising comments on Dabo Swinney

After Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney’s outburst last week against a fan, his Tigers went on and spanked Notre Dame last Saturday.

While social media and some media personalities dragged Swinney for his comments, Alabama head coach Nick Saban actually offered a different take on the situation.

He actually empathized with Swinney’s situation at Clemson.

“I didn’t really hear what he had to say, so I can’t really comment on it,” Saban said during the SEC coaches’ teleconference Wednesday. “But the way I try to manage it is: Focus on the game that we’re playing, trying to get our team prepared to play the best they can play. Don’t listen to the noise outside, whether it’s good noise, bad noise, rat poison, whatever. And try to keep our team focused on the task at hand as well as you can have this go both ways.”

Saban added, “When you have success, sometimes you get complacent. When you get criticized, it’s frustrating,” he said. “But, best thing I’ve found to do is not listen to it either way, stay focused on what’s in front of you. … I think that’s what you count on for your staff and other people in the organization, whether it’s how you try to psychologically prepare your guys to play to the standard they need to play to, to create value for themselves as well as value for our team.”

Saban had to take his own advice this season when there were calls within his own fan base to retire after the Tide struggled earlier this season.

{Nick Kelly}